Crazy to think about, but this last weekend my sister got married.
Congrats to Emily and Brian!
Some pictures through Lauren's website [below].
www.laurendolan.com
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Singapore 2011
I got to spend a little time in Singapore for work this Spring. Really, I was there for 3 days... I got in late on Tuesday night after flying 20h through Tokyo, and had to leave on Friday night around midnight to head back to the US.
The weather while we were there was absolutely amazing. There is something to be said for tropical weather in March. Needless to say, my thick-blood Chicago physiology wasn't too thrilled, but it was a great way to sober up from my extended weekend in New Orleans for Brian's bachelor party.
The first thing I saw on my drive in was the huge Ferris Wheel - the Singapore Flyer. It just so happens to be the largest wheel in the world.
I did have a pretty good view from the hotel of the Marina Bay / Fullerton Bay area.
The first day there Ashwin and I had a meeting with our client, but after the meeting was over we were able to walk around a bit and check out some more sights. We ended up walking much further than necessary, but we ended up walking past the new hotel called the Marina Bay Sands. It is a monstrosity of a building - actually three - with a mock ship at the top. At the base of the complex is a huge casino as well as some very high-end retail.
What was amazing is that between the first two days there we didn't have to leave a square mile of the city. Our hotel was on one side of the bay, client office was on another, and we had dinner with the team on the water. We we ultimately forced to check out some other stuff after all the workshops were over and Eduardo left. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling great (dehydrated even though I was trying to drink a lot of water) so I couldn't enjoy the chicken and rice as much at the food stalls. I have a feeling that we'll have another one going on there soon. Until then there are just some night pictures to bide the time...
The weather while we were there was absolutely amazing. There is something to be said for tropical weather in March. Needless to say, my thick-blood Chicago physiology wasn't too thrilled, but it was a great way to sober up from my extended weekend in New Orleans for Brian's bachelor party.
The first thing I saw on my drive in was the huge Ferris Wheel - the Singapore Flyer. It just so happens to be the largest wheel in the world.
I did have a pretty good view from the hotel of the Marina Bay / Fullerton Bay area.
Crazy bridge with a view of the docks.
View of the Singapore Flyer
Pool at the Mandarin Oriental
The first day there Ashwin and I had a meeting with our client, but after the meeting was over we were able to walk around a bit and check out some more sights. We ended up walking much further than necessary, but we ended up walking past the new hotel called the Marina Bay Sands. It is a monstrosity of a building - actually three - with a mock ship at the top. At the base of the complex is a huge casino as well as some very high-end retail.
Marina Bay Sands (left) and Art Science Museum (right)
Helical pedestrial bridge
View from the hotel at night - Marina Bay Sands, Helical Bridge, and museum
Night-view of the museum
Night view of the Sands
Night view of The Flyer
More night shots from the hotel
Pedestrian walkway outside Marina Bay Sands
Can see the stands in the background where you can watch the floating platform (blue, yellow and green seats)
We had drinks in one of the Fullerton Hotel rooftops
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Skiing in Boyne Highlands
Well, it is now official. Lauren skied for the first time over a long weekend up at Boyne Highlands in Michigan after we were invited by our friends, and she did great. I'll edit this post and add pictures and video, but for now I'll just summarize it like this: we're going to have to get out West next winter. No question about it.
Well done baby.
Well done baby.
Sao Paolo summary
Sao Paolo was a great experience. The people are very helpful, but I'm not too sure of the English penetration in the population as I'm traveling with Martin, and he speaks Portuguese.
The food was great...
Santa Grau - lunch(es)
After I got to the hotel, took a shower, and unpacked, Martin and I went to the local spot down the street from the hotel. Pretty cool cafe space, very tropical feel to it with a bunch of foliage around the outdoor patio, and very good vibe with the staff, clientele, and ambiance. After some smoked salmon (which is all over menus in Sao Paolo) and some croquettes with bacalhao that were washed down with caipirinhas and espresso, it was settled that Santra Grau was going to be the go-to spot for food when necessary.
348 Restaurant - Argentinian steak
Martin and I crushed a parillada for two that was a mixture of morcilla, chorizo, beef heart, lomo and bife de chorizo in addition to palmito salad, farofa, and rice. Add some caipirinhas on top and it was a very speedy meal (the Brazilians weren't happy that we showed up 15 minutes before the kitchen closed, but whatever). Note for future - don't show up after 11pm to this place so you don't have to scarf down dinner. It doesn't make you feel any better if you rush.
Cristal Pizza - Italian Pizza 'hot-spot'
This was the recommendation of the boss-man, and we were skeptical. There was not much action at 9pm on Sunday night when we showed up, but the longer we stayed, the more people came. We ended up having a 3h pizza dinner and it was awesome.
Varanda - Brazilian steakhouse
Dinner with clients was great, and very simple Brazilian steakhouse - some small plates to start, one picanha and one ribeye steak later plus espresso. Great picanha too.
Dalva e Dito - Brazilian "home-cooking"
This was my favorite place that we went to. There is something to be said for the amazing space (glass wall looking into the kitchen, vaulted ceilings and very inviting space even though it was huge) coupled with refined interpretations of "home cooking." I had the best moqueca I've ever had, and overall it was just a great meal.
Jam Warehouse - Sushi
We were recommended to go here for good sushi, and the place delivered. Beyond just the high quality fish and caipirinhas (with maracuia, or passion fruit in English) this place was a total scene. We went late on Wednesday evening, and the place was packed. Towards the end of the night, one couple came, ordered one drink, made out for 10 minutes and then left, without even getting halfway through the drink! I guess there's no reason to delay the inevitable...
Ecco - Local "no frills" spot in a wealthy neighborhood
Apprarently the hotel was around the corner from a really trendy block. Literally though, it was only one block. We decided to walk around and see what the options were before preparing to leave the following morning, and there were amazing options. We settled on a more casual place, but while we were there the club next door started going off. As we were leaving, it was basically a shot out of a movie with people going to a nightclub. Only, they were pulling up in Aston Martin DB9s, Mercedes SLS gull-wings (the new ones) and Porsche GTs... insane. I remember that I had a good fish dish, and that the guy at the table next to us paid for some "companionship" during our dinner, but I won't forget the activity on the street when we left dinner.
Definitely easy to make your way through menus and get phenomenal food and drink. Very contemporary city, and there is still significant upside as the Brazilian economy continues to grow.
The food was great...
Santa Grau - lunch(es)
After I got to the hotel, took a shower, and unpacked, Martin and I went to the local spot down the street from the hotel. Pretty cool cafe space, very tropical feel to it with a bunch of foliage around the outdoor patio, and very good vibe with the staff, clientele, and ambiance. After some smoked salmon (which is all over menus in Sao Paolo) and some croquettes with bacalhao that were washed down with caipirinhas and espresso, it was settled that Santra Grau was going to be the go-to spot for food when necessary.
348 Restaurant - Argentinian steak
Martin and I crushed a parillada for two that was a mixture of morcilla, chorizo, beef heart, lomo and bife de chorizo in addition to palmito salad, farofa, and rice. Add some caipirinhas on top and it was a very speedy meal (the Brazilians weren't happy that we showed up 15 minutes before the kitchen closed, but whatever). Note for future - don't show up after 11pm to this place so you don't have to scarf down dinner. It doesn't make you feel any better if you rush.
Cristal Pizza - Italian Pizza 'hot-spot'
This was the recommendation of the boss-man, and we were skeptical. There was not much action at 9pm on Sunday night when we showed up, but the longer we stayed, the more people came. We ended up having a 3h pizza dinner and it was awesome.
Varanda - Brazilian steakhouse
Dinner with clients was great, and very simple Brazilian steakhouse - some small plates to start, one picanha and one ribeye steak later plus espresso. Great picanha too.
Dalva e Dito - Brazilian "home-cooking"
This was my favorite place that we went to. There is something to be said for the amazing space (glass wall looking into the kitchen, vaulted ceilings and very inviting space even though it was huge) coupled with refined interpretations of "home cooking." I had the best moqueca I've ever had, and overall it was just a great meal.
Jam Warehouse - Sushi
We were recommended to go here for good sushi, and the place delivered. Beyond just the high quality fish and caipirinhas (with maracuia, or passion fruit in English) this place was a total scene. We went late on Wednesday evening, and the place was packed. Towards the end of the night, one couple came, ordered one drink, made out for 10 minutes and then left, without even getting halfway through the drink! I guess there's no reason to delay the inevitable...
Ecco - Local "no frills" spot in a wealthy neighborhood
Apprarently the hotel was around the corner from a really trendy block. Literally though, it was only one block. We decided to walk around and see what the options were before preparing to leave the following morning, and there were amazing options. We settled on a more casual place, but while we were there the club next door started going off. As we were leaving, it was basically a shot out of a movie with people going to a nightclub. Only, they were pulling up in Aston Martin DB9s, Mercedes SLS gull-wings (the new ones) and Porsche GTs... insane. I remember that I had a good fish dish, and that the guy at the table next to us paid for some "companionship" during our dinner, but I won't forget the activity on the street when we left dinner.
Definitely easy to make your way through menus and get phenomenal food and drink. Very contemporary city, and there is still significant upside as the Brazilian economy continues to grow.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Greetings from Sao Paolo
Found my way to Sao Paolo yesterday. Three flights, many Miller Lites and a decent car ride in, I found myself in Faria Lima meeting up with Martin. The rest of the day was pretty low key, mainly comprised of caipirinhas, some walking around, more caipirinhas, a nap, a little work, even more caipirinhas, and a pariillada at the Argentinian steakhouse.
Martin took a few pics and I'll load later, but overall a pretty chill day. Weather is hot (completely different from what's going on back in Chicago), and I'll get more pics of the city and scene during the stay.
More to follow...
Martin took a few pics and I'll load later, but overall a pretty chill day. Weather is hot (completely different from what's going on back in Chicago), and I'll get more pics of the city and scene during the stay.
More to follow...
Monday, January 3, 2011
Skipping ahead to 2011...
Over the weekend we hosted a NYE party with some of our friends. To kick off the festivities we started out with dinner around the corner at Graham Elliot. Amazing.
7 Courses. With pairings. Phenomenal meal. What a way to close out 2010.
Follow that with the party at our place, and I made three punches. The first was a spin on the Chatham Artillery Punch from David Wondrich. Essentially it is muddled lemon peels in sugar, lemon juice, and a ratio of rye, brandy, rum and sparkling wine along the lines of 1:1:1:3. It turned out very well; definitely better than the original trial.
The second punch was adapted from a bar in New York called Cienfuegos. The recipe for Hotel Nacional Punch involved rum, pineapple juice, apricot brandy, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Lower potency, but tasted amazing. Topping off with a little champagne really did a lot for this punch.
The final recipe, for the non-alcoholic crowd, resulted in a concentrated syrup of cinnamon, clove, lemon juice, peppermint extract, slivered mint leaves and diced candied ginger. That syrup, poured over some carbonated beverage (either club soda or sparkling wine), was great.
On top of all that, around 20 bottles of wine, full bar, and a serious food spread for everyone. To be honest, I wanted to invite more people than Lauren was interested in hosting, but that's alright. We weren't sure how many people were going to come over, but at one point we had around 30 people in the place. With the weather unseasonably warm we were able to use the deck as well.
Hello 2011. Nice to meet you. Glad to start off on the right foot.
7 Courses. With pairings. Phenomenal meal. What a way to close out 2010.
Follow that with the party at our place, and I made three punches. The first was a spin on the Chatham Artillery Punch from David Wondrich. Essentially it is muddled lemon peels in sugar, lemon juice, and a ratio of rye, brandy, rum and sparkling wine along the lines of 1:1:1:3. It turned out very well; definitely better than the original trial.
The second punch was adapted from a bar in New York called Cienfuegos. The recipe for Hotel Nacional Punch involved rum, pineapple juice, apricot brandy, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Lower potency, but tasted amazing. Topping off with a little champagne really did a lot for this punch.
The final recipe, for the non-alcoholic crowd, resulted in a concentrated syrup of cinnamon, clove, lemon juice, peppermint extract, slivered mint leaves and diced candied ginger. That syrup, poured over some carbonated beverage (either club soda or sparkling wine), was great.
On top of all that, around 20 bottles of wine, full bar, and a serious food spread for everyone. To be honest, I wanted to invite more people than Lauren was interested in hosting, but that's alright. We weren't sure how many people were going to come over, but at one point we had around 30 people in the place. With the weather unseasonably warm we were able to use the deck as well.
Hello 2011. Nice to meet you. Glad to start off on the right foot.
Photos to make up for lost time
This is an attempt to summarize some of our final travels from the summer and fall of 2010.
Staring down a pier towards Oakland in SF
First trip to SF togeter
The 'farm' outside The French Laundry in Yountville
Vineyards in Napa
Pebble Beach
Frog's Leap Winery - Napa Valley
Big Ben - London
Lauren and J at the Tower of London - Tower Bridge in background
Parliament and Big Ben from across the Thames
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
